


Slow Realisations

by orphan_account



Category: Johnny's Entertainment, Sexy Zone
Genre: Additional warning for abusive relationship though, M/M, No actual rape is happening, Or sexual actions of that nature, The Warning refers to non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2014-09-20
Packaged: 2018-02-18 02:46:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2332448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I did not understand the importance of this moment until much, much later, and have regretted not cancelling on Juri and Co ever since.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slow Realisations

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I know this is a difficult subject and I am nervous about posting this, and I hope none of you will tear me into pieces for it.   
> This story deals with Kento in an unhealthy/abusive relationship (not with Fuma!), so everyone who shies away from that subject, please beware. I tried to treat the subject as delicately as I could, so I deeply hope that I offend no one with this.   
> Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to write this when I first mentioned it! I hope you will enjoy this at least a little, as painful as the story probably is.   
> (I am sorry, Kento. I am sorry, Fuma. I am sorry, everyone. *goes back into hiding*)

Fuma’s POV

I hastily packed my things, cursing as I threw a look at the clock. Juri and the others had wanted to meet up an hour ago, originally, but then shooting had taken so long that I had completely lost track of time. 

Wondering if I could still catch them when I made the next train, I shouldered my bag, heading for the door - only to be held back by a hand on my wrist. 

I turned around in confusion, blinking at Kento, the only one left in the dressing room with me. He was kind of pale, and seemed to be struggling for words, which struck me as odd, somewhere in the back of my mind, but I had so gotten used to ignoring that little nagging voice inside my head when it came to him that I did not pay it much thought. 

“What is it?” I asked him. 

“I just…” Kento frowned, catching my eyes tentatively. “Do you have anything planned tonight?” 

“I was going to meet up with Juri and the others” I murmured, throwing another fleeting look at the clock. “Why?” 

Kento seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he let go of my hand and shook his head, smiling it off. 

“It’s nothing” he shrugged, turning to his own bag again. “Have fun with the others, and tell them I said hello.”

“Okay” I nodded, watching his face for another moment before just turning around and leaving. 

I did not understand the importance of this moment until much, much later, and have regretted not cancelling on Juri and Co ever since. 

***

“I want to tell you something” Kento said a few days after, voice pointedly casual even though his posture was tensed and nervous. 

I looked up from my bento in confusion, realizing with a start that Shori had wandered off somewhere. I had not noticed him leaving. 

“Okay, shoot” I frowned, leaning back in my chair to muster Kento across from me, picking at his own food. 

“I have decided to go out with someone” he said, very fast, and it made it somehow take longer for the words to sink in.

“Oh” I said softly, gulping, unsure what to do with the sudden tightness in my chest. “That’s… nice. Who is she?”

“It’s not a girl” he said firmly, making me stare at him in slight trance. “I am dating a boy from my university.”

“Are you just coming out to me?!” I finally brought out.

“Yes” Kento nodded, taking a deep breath. 

“Oh” I blinked, falling silent for a moment, before adding, very softly: “I had no idea.”

“I have not told anyone besides my mother yet” Kento admitted, fumbling with his chopsticks. “I have not acted on my sexuality yet either, because I was afraid, and no one I was interested in seemed to show any interest in me. But last week, he confessed to me, and… I have only grown close to him in the month since the semester started again, but we get along well, so… I thought I would give it a shot.”

“I see” I murmured, somehow finding it hard to breathe. I would have to check if the AC was running properly. 

“I hope this doesn’t change anything between us” Kento said softly. 

“Do I look like someone who would turn away from you because you are gay?” I frowned, finally meeting his eyes again. “How long have you known me, Nakajima?!”

It made Kento chuckle, and while the smile tugging at his lips relieved me a little, it did not lift the weird pressure from my chest. 

“No, not really” Kento said. “But I was still nervous, and… I guess I was thinking too much again. But I am glad it’s out now, I just… felt like I needed to tell you.”

“I am glad you trusted me with it, then” I replied, trying to smile. “I hope things work out well with you and your boyfriend.”

“Thanks” Kento grinned, a little embarrassed, and I quickly grabbed for my drink, trying to force the liquid down my dry throat. 

***

For the next week, things turned pretty much back to normal, besides the weird pressure in my chest reappearing every time I saw Kento talking on his phone or typing a message. I was too preoccupied with my own emotional chaos, though, to notice how _often_ Kento was looking at his phone, and that he didn’t always seem particularly happy when he picked it up. 

“What?! You are - why?!” I heard him hiss into his phone in a break between dance rehearsals, running a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. I froze in my steps, drink from the vending machine in hand as I watched his shoulders tense when he continued. “I told you I have to work, so why did you… I still have an hour left in the least, and this is when we are fast… Don’t you have anything else to keep you busy in between, I mean… Okay, I got it, I will come down for a moment, just… one minute” Kento sighed, hanging up before taking note of my presence. “Fuma… Sorry, could you cover up for me for 5 minutes or something? I will be right back.”

“Okay” I nodded, staring after him as he hurried down the hallway, towards the elevator. 

When there was still no sign of Kento 15 minutes later and the choreographer seemed to become impatient, I made my way downstairs myself to search for him. I finally found him at the exit to the parking lot, talking to a guy about our age, only probably the size of Hanzawa, if not taller. I realized that it must be his boyfriend just a moment before the boy pulled Kento in. 

And suddenly, all air in this building, or possibly the world, seemed to have run out, and I came to a stuttering halt as I stared at the two of them, at the possessive way the guy pressed Kento against him and kissed him. I felt dizzy, and my heart was racing, and my instincts were to turn around and hide, pretend that I had never seen this, but I couldn’t move, just kept staring until Kento gently pushed at the boy’s chest, bringing some distance between them. 

“I really need to go” he murmured finally, slightly breathless. “Just wait somewhere, I will call you when I am done, okay?”

“Promise?” he asked, raising his eyebrows, and Kento chuckled softly. 

“Promise” he nodded, smiling as he stepped back. It was then, that his gaze fell on me, and he flushed, and the sudden change in his expression tore me out of my trance. 

“Everyone is waiting” I finally brought out, though my voice was thick. I cleared my throat, trying to find something more to say, but then calls of “Fuma-Kun? Kento-Kun?” filled the corridor, and both of us whirled around to stare at Sou approaching, looking at all of us questioningly.

“Why are you taking so long?” he asked finally, frowning as he mustered Kento’s boyfriend for a moment, and Kento hastily took a step back. 

“Sorry, that’s my fault!” he said quickly, grinning at Sou sheepishly before throwing another look at his boyfriend. “I’ll call you when I am done” he repeated, and the boy nodded, looking after Kento as he hurried towards us.

Our gazes met for a moment, and we stared at each other until Kento called my name.

“Fuma?” he murmured. “Are you coming?”

I nodded, throwing another look at the boy down the hallway, but he had already turned to leave. 

***

I was unable to concentrate for the rest of the day. The way the boy had kissed Kento kept popping up in my mind, triggering emotions that I had no idea how to deal with. 

Kento had always been different to me than my other friends, though I had never tried to ponder about it, afraid of what the outcome would be. 

I had known that Kento had a boyfriend. But knowing and seeing him kiss someone were two different pair of shoes, and now that the image was settled in my mind, everything hurt, and I felt like screaming and punching someone, preferably Kento’s boyfriend, and it was that thought that made me realize with a start that I was _jealous_. 

Before I was able to come to terms with what this jealousy entailed, though, rehearsals were over, and Kento dashed out to the dressing room as quickly as he could, leaving me staring after him in slight horror. 

“Fuma-Kun?” Sou asked, making me blink and look up at him questioningly. “Everything okay? You seem absent.”

“I am fine” I said immediately, clearing my throat. 

Sou seemed not convinced, but he let it drop, instead asking: “Who was that guy earlier? The one that Kento was talking to?”

I balled my hand into a fist to keep it from shaking, shrugging as I picked up my energy drink. 

“A friend from university, I think. Why?”

“He seems familiar” Sou frowned, taking me off guard with that answer. “I feel like I have seen him before, but I can’t remember where…”

“Are you sure?” I asked in confusion. “I don’t think I recognize him from anywhere…”

“Huh” Sou shrugged, pursing his lips. “Maybe it’s just me, then. Forget about it.”

I nodded, glad when he dropped the subject, even if I could not stop thinking about Kento and his boyfriend for the rest of the day. 

***

I had never been a fan of admitting uncomfortable feelings to myself, usually trying to pretend that they didn’t exist, but as I watched Kento obsessively checking his phone or dashing out without more than a quick goodbye after work, the nasty monster that had awoken inside of me kept growling at me, poisoning me with a jealousy so intense that I felt like I would suffocate from it. 

I was dead-set on shutting it up, though, because really, this was the entirely wrong moment to develop feelings for Kento. Or better, realizing that I had probably always had them, because nothing about them felt new besides the fact that I could not ignore them any longer, even though I knew I had to.

Kento was in a relationship, and I had no right to interfere with that. He had told me how hard it had been to take that step and date someone, so I would be a crappy friend to confuse him with a confession now, of all times. I knew that, and kept reminding myself of it every day, no matter how often that being inside of me spit fire and demanded for me to go hold Kento close and claim him as mine.

“I remember where I saw Kento’s friend before!” Sou told me suddenly, another week later, seeming unaware of my inner battle as he happily chatted on: “I saw them together on the way to Kento’s car yesterday after work, and there I remembered! He was on a lot of concerts and fan events before!”

I frowned at that, looking at Sou questioningly.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes” Sou nodded. “I mean, he is tall, and we don’t have many male fans, so he kind of stood out…”

“Huh” I murmured, wondering if Kento knew that he was a fan. He had not mentioned it to me. But then again, he had not told me a whole lot about him, anyways. It was not like he had to, either. I was glad that he didn’t, to be quite honest. 

Also, asking Kento about it would seem kind of nagging, like I was trying to put his boyfriend down, and though the monster inside of me cheered in enthusiasm, I was not ready to stoop that low. 

Sou had turned away already, now chatting with Marius about something Jinguji had done or said, but I could not muster up the interest to listen to them. 

***

I did my best to avoid the whole subject of Kento’s relationship as well as I could, until the situation suddenly twisted and turned into a direction that I had not expected it to take, and which made it impossible for me to keep quiet. 

Kento looked tired and pale when he arrived at work that day, but I did not allow myself to look closely, not allowing these tender feelings of worry and care to unfold inside of me. 

He did not talk much while we were styled for the photoshoot, but none of us did - it was early and we were clearly not as awake as we should be, everyone more or less lost in their own thoughts. 

I made the mistake of looking up when Kento was asked to remove the scarf he had fastened around his neck, frowning when I saw him hesitate. 

“I can’t” he murmured, so softly that I wouldn’t have caught it hadn’t I strained my ears for it, before hesitantly reaching up to pull it loose, revealing the skin underneath. 

I drew in a sharp breath as I saw the bite mark underneath, quickly looking away, my heart pounding painfully against my ribcage. Now that was a mental image I had not needed. 

I peaked through the mirror to see the stylist frowning, clearly unhappy, before enquiring about Kento’s wristbands. Kento’s jaw was set before he slowly undid the white leather band he wore nearly every day, revealing dark blue bruises on his wrists, standing out painfully against his usually flawless skin. 

My eyes widened as I stared at them, my head spinning. I realized immediately that while the bite mark could very well have been lust gone a little too wild, bruises to that extend couldn’t have been. That must have seriously _hurt_ , and with the way Kento quickly hid them under the jewelry again, looking as uncomfortable as I had never seen him before, I understood immediately that something was very wrong with this. 

I cornered Kento about it in the bathroom after the shoot, the first opportunity I found to get him alone. Kento was leaning over the sink, only looking up at me when I called his name.

“What happened?” I asked without preamble, immediately pointing to his wrists. 

Kento was fumbling, biting his lip, and I had to force myself to stay where I was and be quiet, to not go shake him and scream at him to tell me what was going on, who was hurting him, even though the worry clawed at my heart painfully. 

When his eyes finally caught mine, they seemed fearful, hesitant, and I balled my hands into fists to keep from reaching out and pulling him into my arms. 

“You know…” he said finally, his voice low, heavy. “Yesterday, I-”

The sound of laughter from the corridor interrupted him, making him jerk and cut himself off, and I made a face as the door opened and two staff members entered the bathroom, having no clue what they had just interrupted.

Kento quickly straightened himself and pushed past me through the door, and I followed him quickly, unwilling to let him leave like that.

“You are going to have dinner with me tonight” I hissed at him, so low that no one else would pick up on it. “And then I want the full story, no excuses.”

Kento just nodded, seeming unable to speak, but the fact that he was not protesting was enough for me, for now.

***

Kento became fidgy once we were alone, nervous to an extent I had not seen him in years, and it made me restless, too. I did not ask any questions until we had ordered and found a seat, and even then, I let Kento sip on his drink for another minute before speaking up.

“What happened?” I asked finally, watching as Kento hesitantly set down his glass. 

His right hand was lying on the table, and I could not fight the urge to reach out for it, and Kento just watched me as I opened the wristband until the bruises underneath were revealed. I gently drew my thumb over them before looking up at him almost pleadingly.

“We had a fight” he admitted finally, his voice thin. “Things… have not been going well and somehow, it escalated.”

“What do you mean, it has not been going well?” I enquired immediately, alarmed. “What did he do to you?!”

“He has been.. incredibly possessive” Kento murmured, looking at my hand lying over his instead of meeting my eyes. “He kept texting and calling me all day, and suddenly turning up at work when I told him specifically not to… And it became too much, and when I told him that… I dunno, he just freaked.”

“Freaked how?” I asked, eyes glued to his face, even though he was still not looking at me. 

Kento’s hand was trembling slightly now, and I squeezed it, making him finally continue.

“He… pushed me to his bed and…” he gulped. “I tried to push him off, but he was holding me down, and it was so hard to fight him…”

“You mean he touched you without your consent?!” I demanded, rage flaring up inside of me as deadly as I had never felt it before.

“I freed myself before he could really do anything” Kento said quickly. “And then I ran for it. He has tried to call me constantly today, but I ignored him.”

“If I get him between my fingers, I’ll kill him” I murmured, and Kento finally met my eyes.

“Fuma…”

“No one has a right to touch you if you don’t want it!” I hissed, having trouble keeping my voice down. “No one, do you hear me?!”

Kento did not answer, and I clung to his hand, trying to calm myself down, but the need to protect him was so damn strong that I didn’t know how to control it anymore.

“Break up with him” I said, staring Kento down until he met my gaze. “I am serious, Kento, this guy is no good for you. He doesn’t value you like he should. Sou told me he saw him at concerts before, and I dunno… with what you told me now, it really feels like he is trying to _own_ you rather than be with you. It’s dangerous.”

“I know” Kento whispered, gulping. “I want to break it off the next time I see him at university, it’s just… I am scared.”

It seemed like Kento had to force himself to say those last words, his pride fighting it with every fiber of his body, and I could understand that too well. This unwillingness to admit to weaknesses. We had always had that much in common. 

“Shall I go with you?” I offered, making Kento immediately shake his head. “I will if you want me to, Kento!”

“I know you would” Kento whispered. “But I have to take care of this myself. I can’t let you clean up the mess I got myself into.”

“You’re not losing anything by relying on me, you know” I said strongly, and Kento sighed, squeezing my hand.

“I know” he nodded. “And thank you, for being there and for caring. It really helps. But I still need to do this alone.”

“Okay” I gave in with a sigh.

“Sorry for worrying you” Kento murmured.

“That’s nothing to apologize for” I shrugged. “I care about you whether you want me to or not.”

“That’s nice to know. I wasn’t so sure” Kento whispered, making me look up in confusion, and a tiny bit of hurt. “No, I… Forget I said that. I am not quite myself at the moment.”

I gulped, _so close_ to telling him just how much I really cared, but I held back, knowing it was the wrong moment. It would seem like I was pitying him, or like I was taking advantage, and this was the last thing I wanted. 

“Promise me to call me when you need help, okay” I said instead, entwining our fingers, gently brushing my thumb against his. “Just let me be there when you need someone.”

“Okay” Kento nodded, and it looked like he wanted to say more, but when he opened his mouth, the waiter came with our food, and he quickly closed it again. 

***

I could barely sleep the following night, my thoughts occupied with Kento and the images he had planted into my head, of that guy pushing him down and hurting him. 

This sense of protection for Kento was nothing new, not entirely, at least - I had felt it before when people had talked badly behind his back or when he had overworked himself needlessly - but this was a different dimension to it, so intense that I felt like I could seriously harm people for harming him. I was not usually violent - maybe easy to agitate, but always shying away from physical fights - but this was different. This was someone precious to me being hurt, and it made me see red. 

I wanted nothing more than to wrap Kento up in my embrace and keep him away from everything evil. But Kento did not want to be babied, always the older one, always trying to take responsibility for everything, and i knew that I had to respect that. But still, the fear was there, whispering ‘what if’s into my ear, ‘what if he hurts him again when you are not there to help’, ‘what if Kento can’t fight him off this time’... 

The night and the hours at university were long and draining. I was barely present, my body there but my mind somewhere else entirely, and half of the time, I kept checking my phone, making sure Kento was not calling for me. 

When my phone actually went off during lunch, I almost dropped it into my Ramen, making my friends stare at me as I fumbled to take it. 

“Kento?!” I asked, standing up to get away from everyone’s prying eyes.

Kento did not answer at first and it was too loud to make out much, so I fled into the toilet of the cafeteria, relieved about some peace. 

“Kento?” I repeated again. “Kento, can you hear me?”

It was then, that I heard low sounds through the line - cars and city noises, and low sobs. I shuddered involuntarily. 

“Kento?” I whispered. “Kento, where are you?”

“I don’t know” Kento finally answered, and his voice was trembling, thick from tears, and my fingers clawed at the sink in front of me until my knuckles went white. “I ran off and lost track of my surroundings…”

“What happened?” I asked. 

“I told him I did not want to see him anymore” Kento murmured, taking in a shaky breath. “I did it in the corridor after class because there were people around to see if he did something. But then he grabbed my wrist and dragged me back into the empty classroom, and… no one noticed. No one even glanced at us.”

“Are you hurt?” I breathed. “What did he do?”

“I am fine, more or less” Kento murmured. “I threw a chair after him and fled.”

“Good” I praised, my voice a little choked, knowing that there were definitely things he was leaving out between the chair and being pushed into the classroom. “Look around and try to find out where you are. I am going to come pick you up.”

“There is a 7Eleven down the street” he said unhelpfully, and I took a deep breath. 

“Use your phone” I said slowly. “Try to find out where you are and send me a message. And then don’t move from there.”

“Okay” Kento agreed, taking a deep, shaky breath before ending the call, all too sudden for my taste. But it took only a minute for him to send me a street name, and with that, I was off to my car. 

It didn’t take long for me to find him, cowering in a street corner next to the 7Eleven he had mentioned, only looking up when he saw my car. His hair was a mess and his eyes were red and puffy and there was a bruise on his right cheek, and when he stood to get to where I had pulled in with the car, a free parking space on the other side of the empty road, I saw that his clothes were torn in some places. My hand was shaking so hard that I had trouble cutting the engine before he finally got into the passenger seat. 

Seeing him from up close, I could see how badly he was shaking himself, his whole body trembling in a way he seemed unable to control, and his eyes still swimming in tears, and before I knew it, I had reached out to pull him into my arms. 

Kento did not fight me, just pressing his face into my shoulder to muffle a sob, and I hugged him as tightly as I could. 

“Are you really not hurt?” I checked, pulling away to run tender fingers over the bruise on his cheek, and he quickly shook his head. 

“No. Not so sure about him, though, I did not stay to check.”

“I hope the legs of that chair pushed right through his head” I groaned dangerously, and Kento sobbed. “What did he do?”

“Basically told me that I couldn’t leave him” Kento murmured shakily. “That I was his and that he wouldn’t let anyone else take me. And then he hit me and pushed me against the wall and I lost orientation for a moment and next thing I knew, he was on top of me, and…” he fisted my shirt with shaky fingers, and brought out with what seemed like his last strength: “Had his hands everywhere I did not want them.”

I did not know what to say, apart from mumbling again and again that I would kill him, so I just pulled him against me again, finding his hair and gently combing my fingers through it, reigning over the mess of them. 

“I am so stupid” Kento sobbed against my shirt. “I don’t understand how I could let it come this far. Am I really that bad at reading people?!”

“Don’t you dare blame yourself for it” I hissed. “This is not your fault.”

“He kept saying how much he cared for me, and I just… I was weak for that” Kento whispered. “I wanted someone to care. So I…”

“You have people caring about you, don’t you know that?!” I scolded. “Me and Shori, Sou, Mari…”

“We are a band, you have no choice but sticking around me!” Kento called, suddenly vehement as he pushed me away. “When it comes to your private life, it’s always Juri or Yasui or-”

“Don’t imply that I don’t care about you!” I snapped, the words stinging. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t!”

“But you don’t care the way I want you to!” Kento called through his tears. “I am selfish and weak and I want you to look only at me, and-”

It was all I could take before I was out of my seat, straddling him in his own, my lips on his. 

I kissed him more forcefully than was probably okay, considering what had just happened to him, but Kento did not protest, did not try to push me away, instead slinging his arms around my waist to keep me close, kissing me back just as enthusiastically.

This kiss was nothing like those in the romance novels - it was desperate, with all the edges of pain and fear and hurt clinging to it, making it rough and messy and almost exhausting. 

When I pulled away, both of us were panting and Kento was resting his forehead against my chest, silent sobs raking through his body. 

“I love you” I confessed, because there was nothing else left to be said. “And I want to hurt the people that hurt you and want to shield you from all harm. And if that is not enough for you I am not sure what to do.”

Kento let out a soft whimper, and I pulled my arms around his shoulders again, hugging him close. 

“If you had told me that before, I would have never even gone out with him” he breathed, and suddenly I felt guilt crushing over me because I understood _everything_ , this moment when he had asked me to spend the night with him, shortly before he had started dating him… It had been a last desperate try to reach out to me, and I had not understood it, had kept pretending to not see what was going on between us.

“I am sorry” I whispered, kissing the top of his head and holding him tightly as he cried into my shirt. 

***

Kento and I got a room in a small hotel nearby for the night, with Kento unwilling to go home, fearing the questions from his parents, and me set on not leaving his side. 

With his torn clothes gone, I could see the bruises all over his body, giving me visuals I had not been especially keen on, but I did not comment on them, just pulling him flush against me. 

Kento seemed worn out and exhausted, welcoming the heat of my body, and once he had closed his eyes, he was dead to the world. 

I held him all night, waking up every few hours as if my unconscious mind wanted to reassure itself that he was still there with me. Kento was fast asleep every time, clinging to me even in his sleep, and at least like this, I felt like I could protect him a little. 

I let him sleep in, not caring about both of our universities, preferring for Kento to not go today, even, and when he finally woke, it was already noon, and even then, we refused to get up. 

“How am I going to explain those bruises at work?” he whispered, and I tenderly brushed a finger over the now purple skin of his cheekbone, making him look at me. “They are going to scold me for being unprofessional.”

“Of course that’s all you worry about” I muttered, and Kento sighed. 

“And what about university? He is in two of my courses, and I can hardly quit. I mean, I could, but…”

“You won’t” I frowned. “You did nothing wrong, you shouldn’t be the one backing down.”

“Then what am I going to do?” he asked. “It’s not like I can ask people to accompany me all the time…”

“How about going to the police?” I asked tentatively. 

“And let the whole world know what happened?” Kento scoffed, shaking his head. “I can kiss my career goodbye if I do that.”

I made a face, knowing that he was kind of right. If the whole thing leaked out to the media, this would be really bad, and you could never know who to trust, in our position. 

“But what is the alternative?” I checked. “I mean, I could always go and tear him into pieces, but…”

“You won’t go anywhere near him” Kento whispered. “If something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.”

I was going to protest, but Kento sighed and curled himself against me, making himself as small as possible against my chest.

“We can also just lock ourselves away and never go outside again” he suggested. 

“As tempting as that sounds” I teased, brushing through his hair softly. “That would kind of ruin our careers as well.”

“Well damn.” 

I chuckled, kissing his temple. 

“Maybe we should just go and explain to the jimusho, later” I said softly.

“Explain what?”

“That you have a stalker fan who attacks you. They don’t need to know he is your ex.”

“He will try to make it public.”

“Who will believe him? Does he have proofs?”

“Well no… At least I don’t think so. We never took photos together or anything and no one but you knew about us...”

“See…”

Kento sighed, finally looking up to meet my eyes. 

“You will be by my side, right?” he checked.

“Whatever happens” I promised.

“Okay, then let’s go talk to them this afternoon…”

I smiled in approval, leaning in to kiss him softly, and Kento sighed against my lips. 

***

Funny enough, telling the jimusho was easier than expected. Kent’s slightly unprofessional behavior in the last few weeks had apparently made rounds and raised more than one eyebrow, and the bruises on his face and arms seemed to be enough of a proof for them. 

They said they would arrange a meeting about how to proceed and how to best alert the police, and that until then, Kento should not go out alone, an order I was entirely too thankful for. 

I agreed to take him home for the day, and when Kento still seemed troubled on the way out of the building, I nudged his side playfully.

“I told you it will work out” I murmured. “So stop making that face, it claws on my heart.”

“I have a bad feeling about this” Kento whispered. 

“Of course you do, after everything that’s happened to you in the past weeks” I sighed, reaching out to entwine our fingers. “But I won’t let anyone come near you anymore. I promise.”

Kento smiled at me tiredly, squeezing my hand before letting go, conscious of the public street we were going to step out on. 

I was distracted by the guard next to us for a moment, not paying attention and running into Kento, who had suddenly come to a stop. I blinked, glancing past him, only to see the tall figure of his ex boyfriend across from us.

There was a bandage around his forehead, but other than that, he seemed perfectly fine, and I was just about to pull Kento behind me when he drew a large kitchen knife out of his jacket. 

Kento seemed too shocked to move, and even the guard seemed unprepared, but I threw myself in between, hands going for his wrist and struggling with him, trying to make him drop the knife.

I registered Kento calling my name, but I was too focused on not letting go of his wrist, trying to resist his shoving even though he was much taller than me. 

“I’m not going to let you hurt him again” I brought out, holding on as he tried to twist dangerously with the knife. 

“Get outta my way. He belongs to me” he groaned. 

“He is no object!” I snapped, trying to kick, but he tore himself away from me. 

The guard, who had obviously chosen just that moment to intervene, ended up running into me instead of him, blocking me for a moment, and then, I could hear Kento call out in protest.

I ducked away from the guard to see Kento struggling with him, trying desperately to dodge and keep the knife away from his body, and I just ran, frantic to get in between somehow. 

I was not sure exactly how it happened, but I was trying to shield Kento, and then, I felt a blinding pain in my side. 

Kento was calling my name and then the guard had tackled Kento’s ex to the ground, and I held onto Kento tightly to keep my balance. 

“Fuma!” Kento called, holding me upright in a tight embrace, looking around at the people who had turned up at the door, apparently attracted by the noises. “Someone call an ambulance! Fast!”

“I’m fine” I breathed, but then my legs gave out, and Kento sunk to the ground with me. 

“You’re not _fine_!” Kento yelled, and I realized there were tears in his eyes again, and it made me feel a little agitated with myself. I had not wanted to make him cry ever again.

“At least you are safe” I whispered, barely registering what was happening around us - more guards had appeared, I noted, struggling to keep that guy put, and there were other voices but I could not make out what they were saying.

“You promised you would be by my side” Kento reminded me, cupping my cheek to make me look at him. “Don’t forget that.”

“Don’t talk like I’m going to die, Kento” I chuckled. “I’m not killed that easily.”

I wanted to say something more, but my sight was swimming, and then, I could only hear Kento call my name as everything went black. 

***

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed, feeling pleasantly buzzed (probably because of medication), and finding my sister was curled up asleep at my feet, using them as a pillow. 

I had to smile as I looked around just in time to see my mother entering the room. 

“Oh, you are awake” she noted, crossing the room just to flick her fingers against my forehead.

“Ouch!” I complained. “What the heck, I am hospitalized!”

“That’s for scaring all of us!” she snapped. “You are lucky it was just a flesh wound. When we turned up here and found Kento-Kun in tears, we already suspected the worst.”

I made a face, looking around.

“Where is he?” I enquired. “Kento, I mean.”

“We sent him home” she huffed. “The poor boy was totally out of it.”

“Don’t blame him, he had a rough time” I sighed deeply, my hands aching to comfort Kento somehow, even though he was not around. 

“I heard what happened” My mother sighed. “And I wondered what that sudden ‘sleep over at Juri’s’ was about the night before… So it was actually about Kento-Kun all the time.”

“It’s always been” I smiled, and she looked at me questioningly. “Don’t look at me, you raised me into a man who would risk everything to protect the people he loves.”

“I am not complaining about you protecting Kento-Kun from his stalker, but next time, please try to not run into a knife while doing it” she noted.

“There’d better not be a next time” I sighed. 

“Who knows. Kento-Kun is pretty. You might have many rivals.”

I wanted to return something, but then I held in to raise an eyebrow at her, and she chuckled.

“I’m your mother, I know what’s going on, so don’t look at me like that.”

“Mothers are creepy” I just shrugged, closing my eyes. “Now will you let me sleep, whatever they are giving me makes me really dizzy.”

She snorted but gently stroked my hair out of my face and fell silent. 

***

When I woke up the next time, my sleeping sister was replaced by sleeping Kento, only that he was sitting in a chair, upper body resting on the mattress next to my torso, hand clutching mine tightly. 

I sighed and lifted my free hand with what felt like a lot of effort, petting his hair, and it seemed to be enough to wake him. 

Kento sat straight with a start, looking down at me with eyes so wide that it was almost comedic. 

“You are awake” he whispered. 

“No, I am sleep talking” I shot back lazily, receiving a aggravated glare from Kento. 

Next thing I knew, Kento was hitting me with my sister’s teddy bear (which she had probably left behind to keep me company, knowing her), and I shielded myself desperately with my hand.

“You. Fucking. Idiot!!” he groaned, punctuating each word with another face full of teddy’s butt. 

“Why does everyone insist on hitting me while I am in hospital?!” I demanded, relieved when Kento finally stopped, but only for a moment until I saw the tears in his eyes. “Kento…”

“If you do that to me ever again, I swear I will find ways to make you regret it.”

“I would be scared if you weren’t crying over me.”

“Shut up!”

I smiled as I found his hand again, entwining over fingers.

“Had to pay you back somehow for worrying me senseless” I noted.

“This was not fair” he insisted. 

“I never said I played fair” I shrugged, and Kento snorted. 

I squeezed his hand again before letting go and reaching out to cup his cheek. The bruises were still there, I noted, but they were fading, as I hoped would be the wounds that were inflicted upon him in the last few weeks. 

I knew that it would probably take a long way for that, and that my love alone would maybe not be enough to heal them, but damn, that did not mean I wasn’t going to try. 

And if the first step was to make Kento smile again, well, this is what I did best. 

So all I said was: “I hope they sell the media this stalker story properly, or it will look like we had a domestic quarrel.”

I was relieved to see Kento cracking up at that, and I moved my hand up to the back of his head to pull him into a soft kiss. 


End file.
